Combined tie and rail fastener



H. z. MORGAN COMBINED ME AND RAIL FASTENER mwm. 25, 1924 'iiinu llll. Mumlmmu l WITNESSES INVENTOR J/. @ryaw/ A TTORNEYS Patented Aug. 12, 11924.

PATENT FFlEE.

COMBINED TIE AND RAIL FASTENER.

Application filerl January 25, 1924. Serial No. 688,534.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY Z. MORGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pine Bluff, in the county of Jefferson, State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Tie and Rail Fasteners, of which the following .is a specification.

My invention relates to a combined tie and rail fastener and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which embodies conveniently operable renewable means for releasably holding a rail on the body of the device without there being any necessity of making use of the usual spikes or similar fastening devices.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a device of thecharacter described which is not likely to get out of order easily, is strong and durable in construction, and is thoroughlypractical commercially.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a practical embodiment of the invention with two spaced-apart parallel rails in position thereon,

Figure 2 is a perspective group view showing the separable elements at one endof the device detached from one another,

Figure 3 is a transverse sect-ion through the device with the separable elements of the device assembled, the'view being taken substantially alongthe line 3- -3 of Figure 2, and Y Figure 4} is a. section on the line 4i of Fig. 2. I

A tie embodying the invention comprises a body 1 which may be formedof any suitable material, such as wood, or metal. The tie body 1 is shown as being substantiallyrectangnlar in cross sectional contour although obviously it may have any desirable shape in cross section without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as will presently appear. 7 e

The tie body is provided adjacent to each of its opposite ends with a recess or socket 9 opening through the upper face thereof, each of the recesses or socket-s 2 being circular in cross sectional contour and each at a lower level than the having a flat bottom 3. A circular disc 4: v is rotatably received in each socket 2 and rests upon the bottom 3, the disc being-cit such diameter as to closely interfit the socket or recess and being of less thickness than the depth of the socket or recess so that the upper face of the disc will be disposed plane of the upper face of the tie body. Each disc may be retained against vertical displacement from the recess in which ing members 5 which are partially received in grooves or channels 6 opening through the upper side of the tie body and which extend inwardly beyond the wall of each recess or socket'in overlying contiguous re- 7 lation to the disc in such socket. The retaining members 5 may be held against accidental displacement from the grooves or channels 6 in any suitable known manner, no means therefor being shown in the drawings. Each disc has notches 7 extending inward from its periphery and correspond ing in number and arrangement with the retaining members 5, each notch 7 being of slightly greater width and length than the extending portion of the corresponding retaining member 5 sothat the disc may be lifted bodily when it has been rotated to such position in the socket in which it is disposed that the inwardly extending portions-of the retaining members 5 will enter the notches-7 and thus permit the aforesaid vertical displacement of the disc. However, when the disc is in any other" position in the socket in which it is disposed, the extending port-ions of the retaining members will engage with the upper side of the disc and of the latter.

Each end portion of the tie is'provided with a pair of rail seats 8 which are aligned prevent vertical displacement transversely of the tie body and are formed by cutting channels in the tie body to extend from the side walls of the tie body through the wall of the adjacent socket or recess 2 at diametrically opposite points" Each rail seat 8 lies in a plane substantially co -incident with the plane of the'u'pper side of the disc 4 which is disposed in the socket with which such rail seat is asso elated, whereby the disc will aid in sup" porting a rail which is arranged to extend across the tie body to rest upon a pair of" 4:,the frictional en:

rail seats 8 and'the disc gagement of the rail with the disc being it is disposed by retainsufiicient to prevent accidental rotational movement of the disc, although insufficient to prevent rotation of the disc when a torque is applied to the latter.

Each disc 4 is provided with a pair or upstanding co-operative clamping lugs 9 and 10, respectively. These lugs are located diametrically opposite each other on the upper side of the disc and adjacent to the peripheral edge of the disc, the respective lugs having faces, indicated at 9 and 10*,

respectively which lie in vertical planes ex-.-

tending through the disk 4 in spaced parallel relation to each other and at opposite sides of a. diametrical line on the upper face of the disk, the respective faces 9 and 10 being undercut to'closely engage with the upper and edge portions of opposite sides of the base flange of the rail 11 which extends across one of the discs 4 and its associated rail seats 8, the engagement of the lugs with the rail occurring only when the disc has been rotated to the position socket or recess 14 in the peripheral wall of the adjacent disc 4. Each locking key 12- is formed of a piece of spring wire bent v substantially into \/'-shape and the opening 13'preferably decreases in width towards its inner end as does the recess or socket in the associated disc so that the arms of the looking member will be inherently actuated because of the spring qualities of the material of which the locking member is composed to spring apart and to thus engage with the side walls of the opening 13 and the socket 14 when the locking member has been inserted to the position clearly shown in Figure 4 of the drawings and is then released. a

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof maybe readily understood. The rails held on the tie body cannot move vertically or laterally becauseof the engagement of the clamping projections 9 and 10 when the latter are in rail-engaging position. It

Will be observed that each of the clamping projections 9 or 10 tends to force the rail against the confronting or opposite side wall of the adjacent rail seat 8 so that very little, if any, stress will be placed on the locking member 12 when the disc 4 is locked by the latter inrail-securing position. In order to releaseeach rail, itonly is necessary to force the extending arms of the locking member toward each other to permit withdrawal of the locking member and to then bodily rotate the disc 4 associated with the rail until the clamping projections 9 and 10 have been moved, out of engagement with the base flange of the rail.

One of the arms of the locking key 12 may have a projection indicated at 12 en gageable with a notch in the wall of the socket 18 and thus tending to prevent displacement of the locking key from looking position.

Obviously, my invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that illustrated in the accompanying drawings and I, therefore, consider as my own all modifications and adaptations of the form of the device herein illustrated and described as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1.. A combined tie and rail fastener comprising a body having recesses opening through the upper wall thereof adjacent to opposite ends of the tie body, each recess being circular in horizontal section, a retatable disc interfitting each recess and terminating below the plane of the upper end of the recess, rail-engaging projections upstanding from the disc for engaging opposite sides of a rail when the disc has been rotated to a certain position in respect to a rail extending thereacross, and means for releasably holding, the disc in such position in the recess in which it is disposed that said project-ions remain in engagement with said rail.

2. A combined tie and rail fastener comprising a body having recesses opening through the upper wall thereof adjacent to opposite ends of the tie body, each recess being circular in horizontal section, a retatable disc interfitting each recess and terminating below the plane of the upper end of the recess, rail-engaging projections upstanding from the disc for engaging opposite sides of a rail when the disc has been rotated to a certain position in respect to a rail extending thereacross, said disc having a socket in the peripheral wall thereof and said tie body having an opening in an end thereof extending through the wall of the recess in which the disc is disposed, said opening being in register with the socket in the disc when the latter is in rail-securing position, and a key insertable through said opening into engagement with the socket in the peripheral wall of said disc.

3. A combined tie and rail fastener comprising a body having recesses opening through the upper wall thereof adjacent to opposite ends of the tie body, each recess being circular in horizontal section, a rotatable disc interfitting each recess and terminating below the plane of the upper end of the recess, rail-engaging projections upstanding from the disc for engaging opposite sides of a rail when the disc has been rotated to a certain position in respect to a rail extending.there-across, means for releasably holding the disc in such position in the recess in which it is disposed that said pro jections remain in engagement with said rail, said disc having a socket in the peripheral wall thereof and said tie body having an opening in an end thereof extending through the wall of the recess in which the disc is disposed, said opening being in register with the socket in the disc when the latter is in rail-securing position, and a spring locking member insertable through the opening in the end of the tie body into frictional engagement with the walls of said socket in the disc. 7

4. A combined tie and rail fastener comprising a body having a recess in the upper side thereof adjacent to one end thereof; said recess being circular in horizontal section, a disc rotatably supported in said recess and terminating at its upper end below the plane of the upper end of said recess, said tie body having aligned seats extending from the side walls of the tie body through the walls of the recess at points diametrically opposite on the latter, said seats lying in the plane of the upper side of the said disc, and diametrically opposite upstanding rail-engaging projections on said disc for engaging with opposite sides of a rail resting upon said seats and extending diametrically across said disc.

5. A combined tie and rail fastener comprising a body having a recess in the upper side thereof adjacent to one end thereof, said recess being circular in horizontal section, a disc rotatably supported in said recess and terminating at its upper endbelow the plane of the upper end of said recess, said tie body having aligned seats extending from the side walls of the tie body through the walls of the recess at points diametrically opposite on the latter, said seats lying in the plane of the upper side of said disc, diametrically opposite upstanding rail-engaging projections on said disc for engaging with opposite sides of a rail resting upon said seats and extending diametrically across said disc, and spaced retaining members extending inwardly beyond the wall of said recess in overlying relation to said disc to normall prevent vertical displacement of the latter from said recess, said disc having notches in its periphery adapted to receive the extending portions of said retaining members when the disc is in a certain position in the recess, so that said disc then may be lifted bodily from said recess.

HARVEY ZVVINGLE MORGAN.

all) 

